Railway car structure



Aug. 4, 1936. A E, LE GARE 27,049,614

RAILWAY CAR STRUCTURE Filed NOV. 2Q, 1953 Patented Aug. 4, 1936 UNireo STATES ATENT OFFICE Arthur E. Le Gare, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to General Steel Castings Corporation, Granite City, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application November 20, 1933, Serial No. 698,841

3 Claims. (Cl. 1(1)5-364) This invention relates to railway vehicles and is particularly adapted for mine cars having stub axles.

In certain types of vehicles, such as those for use in mines andabout industrial plants, it is desirable to provide maximum capacity of the car Vbody without exceeding definite limits of height,Y width and length imposed by clearance conditions along the track over which the car is to operate and also the curvature of the track. One means heretofore suggested for increasing the capacity of such cars is to mount the same upon stub axles projecting laterally from the side Walls of the car whereby the floor between the wheels may be lowered beneath the level of the axles.

The main object of the present invention is to improve, strengthen and simplify car structure of the above type by forming the axles integral with the side wall or iioor portions of the car.

A more detailed object is to so arrange and shape the integral car wall and axle structure as to provide the maximum strength and capacity with the use of a minimum amount of metal and lower the center of gravity of the car, both light and loaded, so to eliminate as much as possible derailment of the car when rounding sharp curves.

Another detailed object is to enlarge the axle portion of the structure adjacent its connection with the wall forming portion and to utilize the enlargement as a wheel hub bearing and also as an inner end stop for the Wheel bearings.

These objects and others are attained substantially by the structures illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which- Figure l is a top View of a portion of a railway mine car.

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 2a is a detail on an enlarged scale of parts shown in Figure 2.

Figure 3 is a side view of the structure in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 4--4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a sectional view corresponding to Figure 2 but showing a modication.

Figure 6 is a side view of the structure shown in Figure 5, the Wheel being omitted.

The invention is illustrated as applied to a mine car, the lower portion of the body of which, including the floor, is formed of a continuous seamless metal web. It will be understood, however, that essential features of the invention may to other types of vewith a cylindrical outer surface receivingvth e inner roller bearing race 9. The wheel 'l is mounted upon the stub axle by means of roller bearings I l) confined between inner race 9 andy outer races Il. A Washer l2 is secured to the lend wall I3 of the stub axle by means of a bolt I4 and extends radially beyond the cylindrical surface of the stub axle 8 and forms an outer end stop for the bearing race 9.

Projection 8 is provided adjacent its connection with the web 3 with shoulders l5 and I6, the latter merging with web 3. These shoulders serve to reinforce the connection between the axle and the floor web. Inner shoulder l5 has an outwardly facing surface I1 forming a stop for the bearing race 9. Shoulder I6 has a flat outwardly facing surface I8 forming a bearing or abutment for the inner face of the wheel hub 'la in case of excess play in the roller bearings. The periphery of shoulder l5 cooperates with the grooves 20 formed on a collar in the wheel hub to form an oil and dust seal for the bearings. A housing 22 secured to the outer surface of the wheel hub and a plate 23 seal the bearings ll from the outside. This housing and plate and also washer I2 may be removed to permit replacement or repair of the bearings and/or the wheel.

The hollow interior of stub axle 8 opens through theinner surface of the body web 3 to facilitate supporting a core in forming the casting. This opening may be closed by means of a plate 2| Welded to the web 3, which plate will preferably be flush with the inner surface of the web 3 and form a smooth continuation thereof.

In Figure 5 the cored hollow interior of the stub axle forming projection 24 opens outwardly and its cylindrical wall is thicker than in the previous form to permit attachment thereto of the plate 25 by the annularly dispose-d bolts 26. The upright intermediate portion 21 of the car iloor casting may thus be formed imperforate and the connection between the projection 24 and web 21 is strengthened. The disposition and function of the step shoulders 28 and 29 are the same asin the previous form, as are the structural details of the roller bearing device and wheel shown.

Figure 6 shows the tapped holes 3D in the end of the stub axle 24 for the bolts 26.

By the practice of the invention as illustrated, the construction of the car and, in particular, the connectionof the axles thereto is materially strengthened and simplified. As previously suggested, the invention may be applied to other types of cars and the integral axle structure may be formed as a lateral projection on an upright or a sloping portion of the car floor or, where the wheels are located outsideY the sides of the car, the axle may project from the side wall thereof. It will be understood that the intermediateupright webs 3 in Figures 1 to 4 and the webs 21 in Figures 5 and 6 may be termed as portions of the oor or of the side wall of the car body. Various other details of the embodiments illustrated may be modified Without departing from the spirit of the invention and exclusive use of all such modications as come within the scope of the appended claims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. Vehicle body integral cast metal structure including a wall part and an outward projection thereon with an outwardly opening hollow interior, the end of said projection being arranged for attachment of a Wheel retainer.

2. In a mine car, a cast metal body member including an integral stub axle forming projection with an outwardly opening hollow, a wheel mounting roller bearing unit on said projection, a retainer for said unit applied to the end of said projection, and retainer securing bolts disposed annularly about the hollow in said projection and extending into the wall thereof.

3. In a vehicle, integral cast metal body structure comprising a wall and a stub axle member vprojecting from the outside thereof, said axle member being closed at its outer end and having a hollow interior opening through the inside of said wall to facilitate supporting a core therein, said wall having a thickened part surrounding said axle member for reinforcing the connection between said wall and member and having a cylindrical outer surface forming an oil and dust seal element and an outwardly facing surface spaced outwardly from the adjacent portion of said wall and forming a wheel hub abutment, and a wheel retainer secured to the closed end of said axle member.

ARTHUR E. LE GARE. 

